Broken Oar
by Jaywalker
Summary: Luke is concerned about Jaina's behaviour and as he investigates further, he finds his fears are well founded.


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George Lucas owns all. I own nothing. Clear enough?

Please please please review. Please? Go on, they even leave a handy little box for you to write it at the end…

Just a little whimsy I thought of…. 

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Broken Oar by Jaywalker.

"Ma'am, Master Skywalker is here to see you". The words tumbled nervously from the young secretary's lips as she addressed the leader of the New Republic. Obviously overawed by her proximity to the legendary and handsome Jedi Master, Leia thought in mild amusement. She mightn't be quite so overawed, the Chief of State reflected wryly, if she saw the same Jedi Master stumble home with a certain Correllian in tow after one too many Draala ales. 

Pushing her inner musings aside, Leia extended one of her legendary smiles to the newest addition to her team and said warmly, "I know. You can send him in, Adreela". Adreela nodded and stepped outside. A moment later, Luke popped his head around the door. 

"Time for a chat?" he asked cheerfully

Leia grinned as she rose to meet her twin brother, "Always", she said firmly as he caught her to him and hugged her tightly. He had only been off world for three weeks but she had missed him terribly. 

Luke stood back a little. Running a critical eye over his sister, he nodded with slow satisfaction. "You're looking well" he told her, as flicking a gaze around her office, he debated where to sit. 

"I shouldn't be", Leia watched her brother choose and then lounge back in the most comfortable seat, "Han is still away with Lando, I have more work than I can possibly manage and Jaina's acting up again". She walked back to her own chair and threw herself on it with a sigh. 

Predictably, the Jedi frowned at her last remark. "What's Jaina been getting up to?" he asked with considerable interest. Luke kept a close and careful watch on his small niece and nephews, both as their uncle and Jedi guardian. His curiosity was further roused when he sensed an instant shift in Leia's mood as she reflected upon his question. She grew suddenly sombre. 

"I don't know Luke", she finally confided with a slight shake of her head, "She seems to be deliberately getting herself into trouble. Every time I turn around, she is in some mischief or another. She wouldn't pull half of these stunts if Han were home. She seems to be constantly arguing with Jacen and Anakin. You know how those three have always fought amongst themselves, but this seems something more." 

"She is her father's daughter" Luke pointed out with a slight grin, "You know she's genetically engineered to be downright awkward sometimes". Leia smiled in rueful agreement. 

"Too true" the princess admitted, as she remembered some of her husband's past exasperating antics. "But Jaina's just not herself. She's being having nightmares but refuses point-blank to talk about them." Leia continued, her attention slowly being dragged to her beeping commlink "You'll see for yourself tonight". Pressing her commlink, the office was suddenly filled with the Adreela's voice. 

"Ma'am, the headmistress of the children's school wishes to speak with you. It concerns your daughter". Leia lifted a knowing eyebrow at her brother. "Perfect timing as always Luke. If this is detention again, I will personally enter her into military school" she muttered darkly, "All right Adreela, put her through".

The vidcom flashed to life as Leia pushed it halfway around her desk, allowing Luke to see the screen. The face of Ms Dreel appeared. "Chief Organa, I am sorry to disturb you" the woman began apologetically. 

Leia instantly interrupted, eager to hear the reason for the call."Not at all, Ms Dreel. I believe this concerns Jaina?" The other woman's expression seemed grave to Jaina's mother.

"Chief Organa, we have spent the last twenty minutes searching the school grounds for Jaina and another pupil".

Leia felt her heart gripped by an icy cold as the headmistress's words registered with her. She immediately looked to her brother for comfort. Luke sensed her sudden fear as he automatically stretched out with the Force, searching for his niece. He found her. "Safe Leia" he told his sister firmly and saw his own relief reflected in her eyes as she found her daughter through the Force a half moment later. The two turned their attention back to the screen where the headmistress was still speaking. 

"She is perfectly safe, we found her a few moments ago. It would appear that she and another child Tia Asperany sneaked out of school just after break. Both children claim that they were merely walking in the school grounds but a thorough search had failed to locate them. I personally fear they wandered into the city but I am unable to prove it. I have spoken to Jaina about the seriousness of her actions and of course I must apologise for our own lax security measures".

"It was activity selection afternoon right?" Leia asked grimly, her relief being quickly overtaken by a rising anger with her daughter. Ms Dreel nodded. "Then Jaina thought she wouldn't be missed in the hustle and bustle of the various activities." 

Luke recognised the familiar flash of fury in his sister's eyes. Jaina will have to start towing the line, he silently decided to himself, Leia has more than enough to deal with at the moment.

The headmistress reiterated her apology. "That doesn't excuse our own failure to keep a sufficient watch over her". 

Leia shook her head. The headmistress had always been more than happy to comply with some of the more stringent security measures imposed on the school by Han and Leia in the past. She could hardly blame them for her daughter's misbehaviour.

In a quiet tone, Leia assured the headmistress, "Ms Dreel, there is no excuse for my daughter's behaviour. However in future if any of the children are missing for any length of time at all, I insist that either Han, Luke or I are notified as quickly as possible." She glanced down at her watch as Ms Dreel nodded in ready agreement. "I presume you would prefer that I picked her up now?" 

"If you could" the headmistress replied, "I don't think she deserves to join the other children in activity selection and quite frankly I think she might be better off at home. She's quite worried about your reaction". 

"She should be", Leia answered shortly. She glanced down at the work strewn on her desk and sighed. "Thank you Ms Dreel. I will have her picked up within the hour".

Leia cut the link and sat back in her chair, allowing herself the luxury of shaking quietly. "Oh Luke", she said softly, "Imagine if anyone had recognised her in the city. They could have taken her from us. Even if they hadn't recognised her, if she had wandered into a dangerous area. It doesn't bear thinking about". 

Luke stretched over the desk and taking her hand, squeezed it gently. "She's fine", the Jedi said soothingly. His tone hardened a little. " Though she won't feel quite so fine when I pick her up" he told her with conviction. 

Leia looked up, startled. "You collect her? No Luke, I…"

"Have plenty of work to get through" he finished for her. "Besides" he said before she could protest further, "I think its time Jaina and I had a little chat". Despite her own anger with Jaina, Leia couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her nine-year-old daughter as she watched her brother stride out of the office, determination marked in every step.

Jaina Solo stared in disbelief as she spotted a familiar figure, dressed entirely in black, make his way toward the school office. Uncle Luke. He was supposed to be in Yavin. She couldn't possibly be this unlucky, all in the one day. But there was no mistaking the Jedi Master who paused outside to speak with the school secretary. 

Jaina turned to the girl who sat despondently beside her. "Tia, that's my Uncle Luke" she whispered nervously. Tia's head snapped up and she gazed at Jaina in horror. 

"You can't tell him where we were" she breathed, "I can't let anyone know Jay. I'm in enough trouble for skipping class, if he knows I spent money in the city today… " 

Jaina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I promised I wouldn't" she reminded her friend. "But Uncle Luke has a way of knowing stuff".

"Without you telling him?" Tia asked with the scepticism of one who hasn't met a Jedi knight, let alone a Master. Before she could explain, Jaina heard her uncle step into the room and without looking up, felt his icy gaze rest upon her.

"Have you everything you need to take home?" he asked calmly. Jaina swallowed hard. That voice didn't sound like Uncle Luke's but it was a tone she knew all right. It was the one he used to strangers when they crowded around her or her brothers in public or the one he used to the security attachments if he thought they weren't doing a good job. Anakin called it his scary Jedi voice. 

"Yes" she muttered, her eyes still glued to the floor. 

"Then gather them up and come along. Tia, the secretary tells me that your father is coming to collect you". Tia managed a "Yes Master Skywalker" before retreating back into an uncomfortable silence. 

Luke watched as his small niece picked up her belongings. He had sensed her shock at seeing him and could now feel her growing apprehension. Unfortunately for Jaina, he had no intention of alleviating her anxiety. Turning his attention briefly to Tia, he was satisfied to find Jaina's partner in crime looking suitably contrite. Something else about her drew his attention and his scrutiny became a little more curious. A dark air seemed to hang around the child but before he could delve any deeper, his niece had reclaimed his attention. Pushing her datafiles into her satchel, Jaina turned to walk toward him. With a final turn in Tia's direction, she mustered up a half smile before sombrely following her uncle outside.

Jaina had been in trouble heaps of times before. And Uncle Luke had caught her right in the middle of it plenty of times. Right now though, she couldn't ever remember a time when he seemed so mad at her. That wasn't quite right. Uncle Luke was never mad. He just got this deathly quiet around him and you knew that no matter how hard you tried there was no way to escape his piercing gaze.

She risked a quick glance in his direction. He was sitting at the opposite side of the kitchen table reading through some report or another. He hadn't said much since he had fixed them both a sandwich. Come to think of it, he hadn't said anything at all. Maybe he wasn't quite as angry as she figured, Jaina decided hopefully. After all he was a Jedi Master with all sorts of problems, far bigger than his niece's truancy.

"Wrong" His icy blue eyes rose and settled upon her. "Nothing is more important than hearing your explanation of this afternoons events. I can hardly wait to hear why you walked out of school grounds today. I'm sure there's a very reasonable explanation, so come on, lets have it."

Jaina scowled. She hated sarcasm. Her parents used it like it was a galactic sport, sometimes it was hard to get a straight answer out of either of them. And Uncle Luke always said that reading peoples thoughts was rude. She considered reminding him of as much when another look up made her change her mind. 

"Jaina."

She sighed, wondering how exactly she was going to get out of this one without breaking her promise to Tia. No matter how much trouble she got into, she couldn't break that vow. Remembering the mind protection techniques her uncle had taught her, Jaina tentatively constructed some barriers as she wondered what to say. He may not be certain that she was telling the truth but maybe she could try and stop him being so damn confident she was lying. 

"We wandered out. We didn't mean to exactly, it's just that selection was so boring and we were outside before we knew it. We were talking and as soon as we realised, we went straight back." the nine year old faltered slightly under the full force of her uncle's unwavering gaze.

He stayed silent for a moment and she could practically feel her skin crawling with self-disgust. Her mom and dad deplored lying. So did she mostly. Today though, there wasn't any other way.

"You're lying." He said finally and the disappointment in his voice cut through his niece.

Jaina winced. "I'm not". A tear splashed down her cheek and she wiped it angrily away.

A tight feeling built up in Luke's chest. It wasn't like Jaina to lie. Generally she was a happy go lucky kid, mischievous like any other but willing to accept responsibility and the consequences for her actions. Now though, the jumble of emotions tumbling from her suggested that something was seriously troubling the small girl. Something, he pushed a little further weeding through her mixed feelings, she was scared to tell him. What or who the hell had frightened her? A dark anger rose within him as he considered the possibilities but he swiftly subdued it. Beware of the Dark Side, he told himself sternly while inwardly composing himself. 

Suppressing the urge to dip into her mind and see exactly what was disturbing the small girl, Luke stood and moved slowly around to her. Getting down on his hunkers, he took a small hand in his own. 

"Jaina" he said softly "Sweetheart, I know something is frightening you. You know you need never be scared, little niece. Your mom and dad will always take care of you and I watch over you all the time. Even when I'm not with you, you can feel me closeby. You know that."

She nodded, the tears flowing freely now. She felt a connection with her uncle wherever he was in the vast galaxy. 

"Well?" he prompted. "No matter what you've done, or whats happened, there's nothing to be afraid of pet. You can tell me anything."

"I can't." she wiped her cheeks clear and looked at him with a rigid determination in her young eyes. "I am sorry for skipping class Uncle Luke I won't do it again. And I won't complain about whatever punishment I get. That's about all I have to say."

Luke surveyed her for a moment. He knew from past experience that Jaina could be every bit as stubborn as her mother.

"All right Jaina," he said, "I'd like you to spend some time mediating. We can speak about this later with Mom."

Pushing her chair out she opened her mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it. She walked slowly out of the kitchen, leaving a perturbed uncle behind her. Flicking on a vidlink, Luke was immediately connected to Adreela.

"How can I help Master Skywalker?" Much to the girl's disappointment, the Jedi was less friendly than earlier. 

"Adreela, put me through to Leia please."

"She's at a meeting Sir. Shall I disturb her?"

Luke considered this for a moment. "No" he said finally, "Just make sure that she gets home early tonight." 

"She did what?!!"

"Han, Hush for Force's sake! You'll wake the kids." Leia admonished pushing her husband into a seat. 

Han looked from her to Luke, his eyes narrowing. "Hey this isn't some kind of Skywalker payback for me being back two days late, is it? Cos kidding about my daughter doesn't tickle my funny bone, you should know that by now."

His wife fixed him with a baleful stare. "No, though I would have appreciated a call letting me know when to expect you. However, I wouldn't joke about the children. _You_ should know that by now."

Han took a deep breath "I do. I just can't believe the little minx. What the hell was she thinking? She's never been a kid to directly flout the rules. Anakin, I'd expect it from, but Jaina? I swear she is not going to see sunlight for a month after this caper."

Luke listened to his brother in law rant for a few moments. He waited for a pause and jumped in, speaking with his characteristically calm self-assurance.

"I know you two are annoyed with Jaina and rightly so, but I'm worried there is something more important going on here. She won't say exactly where she was today. Something or someone is scaring her and she refuses to discuss it." 

Han fell silent as he absorbed the Jedi's words. Luke watched a cold fury spark in his friend's eyes. The Jedi had known Han to lighten the most serious of situations with a cynical line or joke. When it came to his family however, humour vanished. Han was notoriously protective of Leia and the children and he took any threat to them as an invitation to war. He loved his family passionately and defended them with the same spirit.

"You picked all this up from her today?" the Correllian now asked in a soft dangerous tone.

"Yes"

"You can read her mind Luke. Find out what's going on." 

Luke shook his head. "That's hardly fair Han. How could I ever expect her to trust me if I peek at random into her inner thoughts? How can I ever expect her to harness her powers with a respect for others if I don't?" He knew he didn't have to press the point. Han wouldn't support an invasion of Jaina's privacy any more than he would.

Han sighed as Leia took his hand and perched herself on his lap. Pulling her back, he wrapped his arms around her, suddenly consumed with worry for his small daughter. "She won't talk with you either huh?" 

She shook her head, a pained expression crossing her face. "Not a word. She has been as quiet as a bantha cub all evening and as for poor Jacen! He's heartbroken, she has completely blocked him out. Leia paused, "Luke's right Han, something is troubling her, it has been for a while now." Her voice filled with sudden despair "Why didn't we see it?"

Han shifted uncomfortably in the chair. Pushing her own hurt aside, Leia squeezed his hand in comfort. She knew it went against the Correllian's nature to sit passively while his precious daughter was in turmoil. Despite his lack of Jedi powers, Han had a very special connection with his three children and knowing one of them was anguished, tore at their father's very soul. 

The ex smuggler looked up at the Jedi.

"Any bright ideas?" he asked with a grimace.

Luke shrugged. "Just keep a close watch on her. Try talking with her"

Han's shoulders slumped. "Talking. Force be with the days when we actually tried to solve a problem by doing something." He raised a hand to silence Leia's protest. "I know, I know" he murmured. "Wishful thinking is all." 

"Jaina?"

"Jaina?"

"Jaina?"

"What?"

"Are you okay in there?"

"Course I am. What are you doing here? They'll kill you if they catch you up."

"I'll just say I was going to the bathroom." Her twin padded in and parked himself on the edge of her bed. 

"Dad came home a little while ago. They're talking about you out there, you know."

Jaina sighed in deep aggravation. "Jacen, you have a remarkable gift for pointing out the obvious."

"Well sorry" the injured tone floated back to her in the darkness. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I don't know how you are these past few weeks. Normally, you know, I don't have to ask."

Jaina squashed the urge to suddenly open up to her brother. "I know Jac" she said in a gentler tone, "I'm just a little preoccupied is all. Honest, I'm fine."

"They don't think so," their doubts echoed in his voice. 

"Well I am" Jaina stubbornly insisted "Except that right now, I am tired. So goodnight."

Jacen hesitated, wondering if his prickly twin would object to a hug. Contenting himself with planting a goodnight kiss on her head, he cautiously made his way back to the room he shared with the youngest Solo. Jaina buried her head in her pillow and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, ignoring the dark whisperings of her mind. 

The Jedi awoke with a start. He rose and sensed his niece's anguish a moment before her scream ripped through the night. Sprinting from the bed, he called his lightsaber to him. Luke couldn't sense any immediate danger but he felt somehow safer with the lightsaber. Waiting the half breath it took for it to fly into his grasp, the Jedi turned and raced out. He turned towards Jaina's room, nearly colliding with Han who rushed out of his own room, a worried Leia behind him.

"Go to the boys" Han commanded, not looking back "They'll be awake." 

Luke followed the Correllian to Jaina's bedroom. Han took a cursory glance around as he went to his daughter's side. Picking her up in one strong swoop, he pulled her trembling body against his chest and held her tightly there, whispering softly to her as he did so.

"Its all right Sweetheart, Dad's here. It was just a dream pet, nothing more. I'm here my love, I'll take care of you" Han threw a concerned look at his brother in law. 

"She's burning up Luke."

Luke placed a gentle hand on Jaina's forehead and gradually strengthened the Forcebond he shared with his little niece, careful not to burden her tormented mind with his presence. He was instantly engulfed in her distress, lost in the dark insanity of a child's terror. Pulling himself back sharply with one long breath, Luke allowed the healing power of the Force to sweep over her, calming her, quietening her fear. He chased every last vestige of darkness from her consciousness and satisfied that for now he could do no more, he slowly withdrew, leaving her awash in the Force.

He nodded to Han. 

"She's fine."

"Fine?" the Correllian ground out quietly, rocking his daughter "You call this fine?"

"It's a nightmare Han. For Jedi children, they can be very vivid. And terrifying."

"Damn Jedi" Han spat out, as near to tears as Luke had ever seen him. "If this is the gift of the Force, I don't want her to have it, I don't want any of them to have it." He stared at Luke, almost daring the Jedi to defend his faith. 

Luke stayed silent, respecting and understanding Han's anger. There was little he could say in way of response. The gift of the Force would indeed burden the Solo children at times, just as it had burdened Luke when he struggled to know its ways. Ultimately though, it would give them the greatest peace they would ever know. His brother in law knew it too. 

The young Jedi's gaze fell on Jaina as he sensed her slow awakening. He watched her intently as she stirred in her father's arms. Opening her eyes, a stricken look crossed her small face, chased away by relief as she saw who was there. 

"Hello starbug" Han smiled down at her.

"Hello" she said a little uncertainly, looking from one man to the other.

"That must have been a pretty bad dream sweetheart. What got you so upset?" Han coaxed.

Jaina shook her head "Don't remember."

"It scared you though" Luke remarked in an even tone.

She shrugged, almost in embarrassment.

"Did I wake everyone?" she muttered.

"Just about" her mother answered as she snuggled in beside her husband. Gathering Jaina up, she took the girl into her arms. As she fixed a rogue strand of hair from around Jaina's pale face, Leia asked casually "You don't remember anything sweetheart?"

Luke could feel the physical and mental barriers erecting in the child's mind. 

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Jaina answered defensively. 

Leia raised a questioning eyebrow to Han. Leave her be, his look responded.

"All right" Leia soothed "How about sleeping with me and Dad or maybe Uncle Luke tonight?"

Jaina's eyes brightened at the thought. "Uncle Luke" she answered predictably. Looking apologetically at Han, she explained "Sorry Dad, but you always squash us." 

Her father grinned in acknowledgement. "Fair enough" he agreed, leaning over to kiss her. Tilting her chin up, he said in his no nonsense tone. "If you don't want to tell us what's going on that's okay by us but don't you worry little starbug, I would never ever let anything happen to you or your brothers or your mom. Understand?"

Luke could sense Jaina's sudden sensation of complete safety and he mentally congratulated Han once again on his paternal skills. Luke would never have pegged that brash young smuggler he had met in a Tatooine catina as a responsible, let alone a terrific father. Han had surprised everyone in the years since Jaina and the boys. He hadn't lost an ounce of his old impulsiveness but he loved his children and didn't care who knew it. 

"Watch out that Luke doesn't levitate you in his sleep" Han warned, delighting in the giggle he invoked in his daughter.

"Come on then" Luke said pulling her up on his back "Say night to Mom and Dad."

Accepting kisses from Han and Leia, Jaina fell drowsily against her uncle's back and by the time he tucked her into bed, she was almost asleep. Luke waited until he was certain she was fully relaxed before drifting back into a more alert sleep himself. Just as he reached a state of complete rest, a thought jerked him back to bare consciousness. Tia, it told him insistently, Tia is lost. 

At breakfast, a tense nine-year old ate silently beside her chattering brothers. Jacen stole an anxious look in her direction every few minutes but seemed to sense Jaina was better left alone. Her elders watched her carefully and as the three went about clearing up after themselves, they gathered in the lounge.

"I have never seen her this withdrawn." Han rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. "She is just so damn quiet."

Luke nodded in swift agreement. "We need to get to the bottom of this." He glanced at Leia who stared out the window, almost absentmindedly. 

"Leia?"

"Huh? Oh I was just thinking."

"About?" Han prompted curiously.

His wife smiled a little self-consciously. "About how one of our children could be so frightened of something that they can't speak to us about it. I never dreamed they wouldn't be able to confide in us, I never thought…." Her words trailed off, her eyes glinting in the morning sunlight. 

Han rose and stood behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Don't" he murmured and she nodded fervently in tearful response, leaning back against him. Luke watched them and felt their parental despair fill the room.

"I may have something." he spoke reluctantly, not wishing to get their hopes up, but wanting somehow to relieve the tension. "Tia Asperany. Jaina's fellow truant. She's somehow connected to all of this. I could sense Jaina's anxiety for her last night. I couldn't get a clear image of the nightmare but Tia was somehow involved."

Han frowned. "Small skinny kid, ginger hair right? We've had her over for dinner once or twice, I think. Leia?"

Leia nodded. "She's a nice girl."

Han's look deepened with interest. "Maybe if we talk to her parent's we can find out what's going on with the kids."

Luke readily agreed. "It's worth a try."

Han made to move, then paused. "Aah" he said with a grimace "I promised them I would let them tinker about on the Falcon. That way, I can keep an eye on her without the boys being quite so aware of it."

"Well you can't back out on them now." His wife said very definitely. The children loved to 'bang around the Falcon' as Han put it rather mournfully. Much as he loved his kids, he hated to see anyone or anything treat the Falcon with anything other than the utmost care. 

"I'll go with Luke," she decided.

Leia pulled her hair back in a smooth ponytail and assessed herself a little critically in the lounge mirror.

"Ready?" When determined, Leia positively sparkled with intent. 

Luke motioned to the door. "After you, your Highness."

"Dad."

"Yes son?"

"Why won't anyone tell me what's wrong with Jaina?"

Han turned his attention from the Falcon's engine down to his young son. Jacen cut a forlorn little figure as he looked up at his father with a quiet worry shining in his honest brown eyes. Han shot a quick glance at Jaina and Anakin who were fighting over the contents of their toolbox. Jumping down, he sat on the ground, pulling his son on top of him.

"Well Jacen, it's like this. We're not sure what's troubling your sister. You have no idea either huh?"

"I can't feel her Dad, she won't let me." Jacen squirmed slightly as he spoke, talking about the Forcebond he shared with his sister made him feel a little disloyal. Han knew instinctively what was going through his son's mind.

"You're not telling tales Jacen. You can always talk to me and Mom when you are worried son, you know that." I seem to be telling them that a lot these days, Han thought to himself. It was so darn easy when they were younger.

"Will she be okay?"

Han squeezed his son a little tighter. 

"You betcha kiddo. We Solos always come through okay." 

The twins enjoyed the trip to Tia's home on the far side of Coruscant. They rarely got the chance to spend time, just the two of them together, so it was a pleasurable half-hour journey.

"She lives quite a distance from the school." Leia commented as they pulled up outside Tia's home. Finding her brother a little preoccupied, she poked him in the ribs. "Luke! Listen to me."

"Ow!" he rubbed his side, quite sure her assault would leave a nasty bruise, "Haven't you heard that a Jedi Master is supposed to be viewed with awe and respect? Not used as a punchbag!"

"Sister's privilege" Leia told him smugly, as pushing past him, she walked toward the house. He tugged her back. 

"Wait" he murmured, allowing the Force to absorb him once more. There it was again. The darkness he had associated with Tia hung heavily around the house. The amusement in Leia's eyes dampened as she watched him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trusting his Jedi wisdom implicitly.

"Tia is lost," he said softly to himself. He straightened and looked down at her. "It's all right, just the Force warning me to stay alert. Besides," he teased, "You're perfectly safe with a sensible Jedi Master like myself."

Not convinced by his apparent nonchalance, Leia followed him slowly, her own sense in the Force suddenly heightened. Luke rapped on the door and the pair waited expectantly. Another knock on the door produced no response. 

"Maybe nobody's in?" Leia wondered aloud.

Luke shook his head. "Feel for yourself," he instructed in his Master's voice. 

Leia cocked her head to one side and listened to the Force's whisperings. There was someone in the house. A very young light in the Force. 

"Tia" she said with confidence. Her brother nodded in approval. 

"Seems like she's by herself." He looked at Leia warningly. "Mind your temper Leia."

Leia swallowed back a quick retort. Luke hated more than anything seeing expressions of deep anger, especially in his sister. My link with the Force is weak, she reminded herself dutifully, and fury leads to darkness. As she thought of Tia left alone in the house however, her anger returned with a vengeance. 

"I don't care Luke" she exploded, her very being tingling with rage. "Who in their right minds would leave a nine year old alone? You want to tell me that?"

Luke rolled his eyes. Leia's infamous temper was as much a part of her as her dry humour. After all these years, he gave up trying to reform his errant sister's ways. Almost gave up.

"I know how you feel" he began, "But you can't simply…"

He paused as the door creaked slowly open and a small face peered up at them.

Luke exchanged a surprised glance with his sister. 

"Tia" they said together. 

Leia laughed as she crouched down to the girl. "Tia, you remember me, don't you?"

"Yes Mrs Solo." The girl answered shyly. The twins suppressed a grin. Leia was addressed by many titles, Chief of State, Her Royal Highness. The list went on. Mrs Solo was a title every bit as valid as the others were but it was one that was rarely used, as Han frequently pointed out in annoyance. 

"May we come in sweetheart?" Leia asked with the soft voice she reserved for her own children. Luke felt a ripple of agitation run through the child. 

"You want to come in?" she repeated, her panic increasing "No, you can't, I mean…"

She was still protesting as Leia took her hand and guided her inside followed closely by Luke. 

"We won't stay long sweetheart, we just need to have a little chat."

Leia looked back at Luke who had stopped behind her, a strange look on his face.

"Luke?" 

Han felt a small hand slip into his own. Putting his tool down, he settled down beside his daughter. 

"Ready to tell me, sweetheart?"

Her small frame seemed burdened with this secret of hers. Part of it lightened as she gulped, fighting tears as she spoke. 

"I have to Dad. I have to tell." 

Luke stopped midstep, suddenly slammed with Tia's dark fear, the same one he had recognised in Jaina. Except in this child, it was magnified. A thousand times. He swivelled around and gazed around the hallway as though the answers to his questions were inscribed on the walls. Flashes of the Force hit him, truths trickling to him through them. She didn't belong here. She missed someone. Home. Beatings. He hurt her. He hurt her and hurt her again. It never stopped. He never stopped. He had stolen her. But worse, far worse. Luke prepared himself as he felt the Force lulling within him, then building like a wave, it hurtled through him with a terrible truth. The young man closed his eyes as defence against the onslaught. 

Water. Deep deep water. He drowned her. He drowned her. Tia's terrible terrible pain ripped through the Jedi as he saw all too clearly, all that had happened. He had drowned her and stolen Tia. Stolen her and kept her. He was close by. Luke breathed the healing Force through his body, commanding it to relax. Commanding it to calm.

He opened his eyes. Leia was staring at him a little fearfully, the child hiding behind her. 

"Luke" she half whispered "What is it?"

He ignored her and instead dropped to one knee and fixed his steady gaze on the small girl.

"Tia. I know you don't belong here. We're going to take you home."

His simple words were met with a confused expression. Tia's small features lit with a sudden hope that this strange man might somehow help. No, she told herself sternly and the animation vanished as a blankness conquered her face. 

"I belong here."

"No" Luke smiled his still boyish smile. "No Tia you don't." He turned and looked past Leia. "You don't belong here either. You, my friend belong in prison."

Leia jumped as she realised that behind her a tall thin man stood quietly. I should have sensed him, she thought knowing as Luke did, that her anger at Tia's situation had blocked off any connection with the Force. He's right, she realised, I must learn some control. 

"Annar Bracken at your service. The child is mine." The man glanced at Tia. "To your room."

Leia tightened her hold on Tia's hand. She wasn't quite sure what Luke had felt just now but she wouldn't leave a droid with this guy, let alone a fragile child. Tia didn't resist, she merely entwined her fingers around Leias.

Luke took a confident step forward. "You stole her. You ripped her family apart and you stole her." He could feel Tia's amazement behind him as she wondered how Jaina's uncle knew so much. At least he hasn't completely destroyed her, Luke thought to himself as he surveyed the other man, she can still feel surprise, she can still feel.

"They owed me money" the man hissed, "They owe, they pay. I took her as a security measure. They might start paying quicker now. It's all perfectly legal on her homeworld. Cafarack."

Leia racked her brains. Cafarack, a small world, an Imperial stronghold before its acceptance into the Republic last year. 

"It's not in any way legal" she hotly contested "Cafarack is a Republican world."

"Stilling living by Imperial ways." Bracken sounded almost bored as he spoke. "Societies don't change overnight."

"Unfortunately, laws do" Luke said quietly "Under Imperial law, you would have be killed for murdering a child. We Republicans prefer hard labour. So I'll have to content myself with knowing that you never see daylight on whatever sunless planet you end up on." 

Leia looked down in confusion at the now sobbing Tia. Murder a child?

"Luke?" 

"Leia call for a security detachment. Don't bother." he warned Bracken as the man took a step backward. Luke pushed back his cloak and rested a hand on his lightsaber, "Unless you want me to resort to Imperial justice."

The man's shoulders slumped in defeat. Content that he would stay put, Luke stepped back and lifted Tia into his arms. He cradled the child until long after the security detachment had taken Bracken into custody under a rather bewildered Chief of State's authority. The child broke down completely in his arms, a weeping bedraggled bundle of pain. 

"Come on" he said finally to his sister. "Let's get her out of here."

Chewbacca stormed into the holding bay. Han's message had been short but to the point. Get here now. The Wookie looked around and saw the two Solo boys sitting solemnly at the nearside of the Falcon. Spotting him, they walked over slowly.

"Can you take us home Chewie?" Anakin asked, clinging to a furry hand.

Chewie barked a question.

"Cos Jaina needs my dad." Jacen answered as he pulled the Wookie out of the bay.

On the far side of the Falcon, Han listened and inwardly crumbled as Jaina told Tia's story. 

Luke felt Leia's hand fall on his shoulder.

"Finally asleep?" she whispered

He nodded. "A Jedi relaxation technique helped a little" he admitted, "She was completely over wrought."

He turned his chair about so he was facing her. "What did you find out?"

"Her father died three years ago in a speeder accident. Her mother, an Isla Asperany has been trying to clear his business debts ever since, according to the investigator I spoke with. Unfortunately she turned to the local loanshark, our friend Bracken for help. He based himself here on Coruscant a few years ago but he travels back and forth to Cafarack on a regular basis. Things went from bad to worse for Isla, she lost Tia's sister Ceeva a year ago when the girl drowned in a nearby pond. Three months later, Tia registered at Jaina's school. I guess Bracken didn't want his neighbours guessing that his 'daughter' was really little more than a slave so he sent her to school and even dinner with us a few times to keep up appearances. I wondered why he always sent a droid to pick her up."

Luke only half heard her last remarks. "Ceeva didn't die in an accident Leia" his tone was laced with bitterness. "Bracken drowned her. In front of Tia. He made Tia watch him drown Ceeva and then sent her home to tell her mother that the sme thing would happen to Tia if the debt wasn't cleared."

Leia's stunned speechlessness spoke volumes. The silence suddenly seemed to echo a lost child's spirit. 

"Luke" she finally managed, her voice and heart broken for the small girl lying on the medbed.

He buried his head in her hands. "I know," he said in a muffled tone. They stayed like that for a moment, both aching for Tia and her lost sister. Luke eventually raised his eyes, a calm peace having replaced the anguish in his eyes. Envying his complete unity in the Force, Leia handled her sorrow in the way she managed all of her previous despairs, pushing it aside and focusing on the present. 

"She must go home." She thought aloud.

"Tia needs her mother" Luke agreed "But she must also heal. I would like her to spend some time with the Jedi healers." He looked up at Leia carefully. "Jaina too"

"Jaina?" Leia began in confusion. It cleared almost immediately. "The nightmares."

"She's been reliving the drowning and the beatings and everything else." _He should have known. _Luke quenched the thirsting thought. Blame and guilt lead to anger, he reminded himself. I will not walk that path. "Jaina has been as much of a witness to the drowning as Tia."

He felt the pull in Leia, the urge to be with her daughter and the desire to support her brother. He made the decision for her. Jaina needed them every bit as much as Tia.

"She'll sleep for hours" he rose to his feet. "We should go home."

Leia shot him a grateful glance. Pausing only to gently kiss the little girl, she left the medlab and went to her daughter.

Dusk had settled by the time the Skywalker twins reached the farside of the city. Despite her inner turmoil, Leia managed to hurry to the Solo apartments with her usual grace, smiling at familiar passerbys and old friends as she made her way home, Luke at her side.

She had only half punched the security code into the doorbar when the doors swished open revealing her grim faced husband. Han looked aged, his white face contorting his features somewhat, accentuating a hollowness in his eyes. He knows, Luke realised. Leia saw it too and her impatience to see Jaina vanished as she reached for her husband.

"Han."

He pulled her to him and hugged her quickly before stepping back uneasily.

"She's asleep in the lounge. The boys volunteered to go to bed early, they've been a pair of troopers. She talked some and broke her little heart with crying and then fell asleep. Shes exhausted. She's…" he couldn't quite finish. Without looking up he asked, "You got him Luke?"

"I got him Han." Luke recklessly threw the Force to one side and allowed a cold anger to envelop his voice. Indulging in it for a moment, he managed to mask the dark feeling as Han looked at him carefully. 

"Don't fight it" the Correllian advised in a strange sort of voice. "You wouldn't be humanoid if you didn't feel it."

Luke nodded in acknowledgement. Sometimes you had to feel. "She talked at last?"

"Everything." Han smiled suddenly at Leia, "She's missed her mom." Without a word, Leia went through to Jaina. The two men followed and watched as Jaina sleepily saw her mother. With a cry of delight, the child snuggled into her mother's arms. Lying there contentedly, she asked almost timidly,

"Dad told?" 

"It's over Jaina" her mother promised "Uncle Luke and I took Tia to hospital tonight, shes a little poorly but her mother will be here in a day or two."

Jaina processed the information slowly. "Did Tia tell you?" 

"She didn't have to" Leia said softly "Uncle Luke saw everything."

Jaina dragged her eyes to Luke. "You saw?" she whispered.

Luke crossed the room and sat opposite her. "I saw," he said, wondering how to help her stop seeing. _Trust your instincts Luke_, Ben seemed to whisper, _you are her teacher, you will guide her safely_. Filled with a quiet confidence that he would indeed guide Jaina once more to an inner peace, Luke smiled at his niece. 

"I saw." he said again. "And I see before me now, a very brave little girl, a loyal friend and a strong young Jedi. Everything will fall into place, little one, but for now, know that I am very proud of you."

Jaina's face illuminated "They'll go?", she couldn't quite bring herself to mention the nightmares.

"They're already gone." Luke assured her. Seeing the exhaustion in her face, he looked at Leia. "But I think tonight Mom, Jaina might want some company."

"Whose it to be then?" Leia queried "Squashed by Dad or accidentally zapped by Uncle Luke's saber?"

"Neither" Jaina decided. "Jacen. I want Jacen."

"Then that young lady" her father ordained as he gathered her up in his arms, "Is what you shall have." 

Luke smiled as his brother in law disembarked from the Falcon and sniffed the Yavin morning air. "How are they?" Han quizzed, as he hugged Luke.

"Driving my students crazy with their antics." Luke indicated toward the main building. "They are in there now, wowing my newest entrants with their skills."

Grinning at the preciousness of his offspring, Han continued "And Tia?"

"Gone home yesterday with her mother."

It had taken three months for Tia to fully believe that Bracken was gone from her life. Her time with the Jedi healers had helped her to separate her horror at seeing Ceeva's death from her sense of loss for her sister and for the first time, the child grieved for her lost family. 

Jaina had come along in leaps and bounds under Luke's watchful eye. Nonetheless, her loss of innocence could never be restored and she seemed older, more contemplative than her years suggested. Her friendship with Tia had strengthened since Bracken's arrest and Jaina proved to be a valuable friend for the Cafarackian child. 

"She finally told me where they went that day they skipped school you know" he told Han as they crossed the pavilion.

Han looked at him quizzically.

"Coruscant fair. Jaina thought Tia deserved some fun. She couldn't tell us because Bracken thought Tia skipped class to run some errands. He would have beaten her for visiting and spending money in the fair." He paused and shot an affectionate look at his old friend. "Jaina's a great kid Han."

His friend smiled softly. "Her mother's daughter" he said modestly. Luke nudged him. "I think it's due to the Correllian blood myself. Leia would take someone to a diplomatic conference for fun. Hurtling along at subsonic speed is more like her father." 

Han was about to defend his absent wife when he was distracted by a sound that was not often heard on Yavin. The laughter of children. As Jaina, Jacen and Anakin raced toward him, Han threw himself on the ground prepared for their assault. The Jedi Master grinned as he watched the four tumbling about on the ground. He could feel the vibrancy of their Force energy all around him. And as they pulled him into their affray, Luke delighted in it. 


End file.
